The workshop by the cemetary

Flat tyres are among the top most dreaded thing to a motorcyclist. Apart from riding in the rain, running out of gas or breaking down in the middle of nowhere. About 5 miles from work today I had a flat tyre. There's not much I can do except carry on riding slowly while trying hard to balance the wobbly bike. Riding that way during peak morning traffic rush is no easy feat I assure you. Still I made it safe and sound to work and clocked in just in time.

After work comes the cumbersome job of getting my flat tyre fixed. Previously I had to ride it anyway flat and all to the nearest workshop in downtown Jalan Pudu. That was before I found out about the make-shift illegal workshop at the back of the school by the cemetery.

When I got there in the pouring rain, the workshop owner was sound asleep covered with cardboard blanket. I could sense that he was half irritated by my presence rather than welcoming a potential business prospect. Grudgingly putting away his cardboard blankets and rearranging the place a little, he then casually went to a corner of the cemetery, unzipped his flies and took a leak on somebody else's ancestor.

Don't expect pit-stop style efficiency or speed, this ah pek took his own sweet time to fix my bike. My urgency is the last thing on his mind. Occasionally he would remark how my tyre is all cracked up and in dire need of replacement. Next he would suggest I take his second hand tyres which cost as much as a new set of tyres. If I wanna change my tyres I'd rather get a brand new fucking tyres elsewhere not at his stinking shop. Still he managed to convince me to change for a larger size tube for slightly more. I just want him to stop nagging me so I agreed. That is not the first time he tried this trick and it won't be the last. There's always something more wrong with my bike and he'll try to up sell everything.

I guess in one way I should be thankful that he's even there. On the other hand, the way he's tried to rip me off every time is really annoying. You get some you lose some.

Next time I'm going to invest in a decent tubeless tyres so that I don't have to put up with this kind of shit again.